


i should be over all the butterflies

by danishsweethearts



Series: upside down and inside out [10]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Age Swap, Gen, Role Reversal, Shovel Talk, Sibling Bonding, idk its being nervous about relationships and talking about it w ur older siblings, sort of...?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23750338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danishsweethearts/pseuds/danishsweethearts
Summary: Dick and Roy are finally about to go on a date. Damian and Lian try their hand at being supportive older siblings about this.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson/Roy Harper, Lian Harper & Damian Wayne, Lian Harper & Roy Harper
Series: upside down and inside out [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686565
Comments: 16
Kudos: 207





	i should be over all the butterflies

**Author's Note:**

> i'm two pina coladas in babey and i wrote this because [poinrs at reverse!lian harper] i think shes neat

One day, Lian drops out of absolutely fucking nowhere and puts a hand on his shoulder. 

Roy doesn’t know how he doesn’t scream, or jump out of his boots, or throw a punch, but the 5% of his brain that isn’t occupied with being scared shitless is very impressed with himself for the restraint. 

“Hi,” Lian says, smiling. “Damian would like to talk to you.”

“No,” Roy replies, because  _ no. _

“Non-negotiable,” says Lian. She’s still smiling. If this had been Mia or Connor, Roy would’ve made a run for it now, but it’s  _ Lian. _ He can’t get away from Lian. 

Then again, Mia or Connor would never be so cruel as to subject Roy to this.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on my side with these things?” Roy asks. 

Lian shrugs. “He’s not going to hurt you or anything,” she says. Roy doesn't know about that. Everyone knows how Damian is with the youngest of his family. “Like I said. He just wants to talk.”

Roy’s pretty sure that the biggest tragedy in his life is that his older sister and his best friend slash-possible-boyfriend-they-haven’t-really-talked-about-it-yet are both ridiculously enamoured with Damian. It means there’s a frankly horrific amount of overlap between Roy’s business and Damian’s business, when the ideal amount that anybody wants to have to do with Damian Wayne-Al Ghul and his business is  _ zero. _

Roy says, “Promise me you’ll protect me if he tries to kill me,”

Lian grins at him. “Come on, Roy,” she says, teeth glinting in the sunlight. “He knows I would cut off his dick if he tried.”

Well, that makes Roy feel better. Somewhat. 

Not really. It’s still Damian. 

Lian picks up on this, because she comes around to face Roy, frowning. Tilting up his chin, she says, “Do you really think he would hurt you?”

“No,” Roy mumbles, embarrassed. He pulls away from Lian’s touch. “I just… What if he says that I can’t?”

“Can’t what?” Lian asks, but surely she already knows. Lian’s more perceptive than anybody Roy knows. Apart from Dick. Actually, why does Roy subject himself to this all the time?

“Can’t… be with Dick,” he says. He feels like a child even saying it out loud. It doesn’t matter what Damian says. Logically, Roy knows nobody can stop Dick from doing what he wants. Dick’s just that kind of person. If Damian somehow disapproves of Roy, Dick would probably just tell him to fuck off.

It’d still hurt, though. It'd still hurt a lot.

Lian snorts. “I don’t know if you’ve realized this, Roy, but Dick’s got Damian wrapped around his fingers,” She smiles. “Kind of like he has you.”

Roy would protest, but. Well. She isn’t  _ wrong. _

Lian puts out a hand, and after some deliberation, runs it through Roy’s hair. “If Dick likes you, there’s no way Damian will dislike you,” she says gently.

“And what if he does anyway?” Roy asks, because despite how much Dick (and most of the people around him) believes it, the world doesn’t actually bend to his will.

“Then he has terrible judgement, and is more of an idiot than I thought he was, and I’ll have to find a new heroing partner.”

Roy bites his lip. “You would ditch Damian if he didn’t approve of me?”

“Roy,” Lian says, carding her hand through his hair with more confidence this time. “I would burn down cities for you." She flicks him in the ear. "Don’t let it get to your head, though.”

“Oh,” Roy says. That. Makes him feel a lot better, actually. “Um. Thanks.”

“You’re very welcome,” Lian says, before patting him firmly on the shoulder once. “Now, go impress the in-laws.”

* * *

“One more time,” Dick says, crossing his arms. 

Damian, sitting on the couch, gives Dick deeply unimpressed look. “This is ridiculous,” he states dryly.

“No,” Dick says,  _ “you’re _ ridiculous, which is why you’re going to run through the rules one more time until I’m certain you’re going to follow them.”

“You are not going to let this go,” says Damian.

“No.”

There is a brief staredown. It’s a real close call, but Dick comes out victorious. 

Damian sighs. “Richard,” he says, half-loving, half-exhausted. “I just want to talk to him.”

“And you can!” Dick says. “When you’ve run the rules by me one more time.”

Damian sighs again. “This is ridiculous,” he says,  _ again, _ and Dick’s just about to point out that he’s said that already when Damian stands up.

Despite the years that have passed since they first met, looking up at Damian’s tall, imposing figure still makes Dick feel a little like a child. Not necessarily always a bad feeling, but not necessarily a good one all the time either.

Damian continues with, “Richard, do you really think that I would harm or even attempt to harm somebody who you obviously care for so much? Not to mention somebody that is the little brother of my best friend?”

Dick blinks, feeling rather scolded. “You can be… overprotective, Damian,” he mumbles.

Damian tilts his head. “Yes, I can,” he agrees. “But you have known Roy for years now. I know that you two are good for each other. And more importantly, I trust that you can make your own judgements in this kind of situation. I  _ do _ have boundaries, Richard.”

“First I’ve heard of ‘em,” Dick mutters, but he knows that Damian’s right. He shuffles his feet. “I’m just. I don’t know. Worried.”

“Worried?” echoes Damian.

Dick shrugs, trying to play it off as casual. He knows that it doesn’t fool Damian. 

“Worried,” he confirms. “Like, what if something… goes wrong? I’ve never really done any of this stuff before,”

_ Any of this stuff _ ranges from being in love with his best friend to going on a prom date to entering a relationship that he can envision a future for to having his siblings meet his maybe-probably-he-isn’t-sure-boyfriend. 

Damian smiles, and the expression softens his entire countenance. 

“I said it already,” he says. “You and Roy have known each other for years, and I have never seen you as happy as you are around him. Even if something goes wrong, I have no doubt that you two can figure it out together.”

Dick feels a blush rise to his cheeks. He  _ hates  _ it when Damian is right. “Do you really think so?”

“I think that I will be walking you down the aisle to him one day,” Damian says, looking perfectly serious. “How it is that you two get to that point is not something that you can control. But I am certain you will get there.”

Jesus christ. Dick covers his face with his hands. He feels like he’s  _ burning _ with embarrassment, and his blush must still show despite his hiding, because Damian huffs a laugh.

“Please don’t say anything that embarrassing when you talk to him,” Dick whines. “I’ll kick your ass if you do. I’m not joking.”

Damian’s laugh deepens. “You can try, Richard. You can try.”


End file.
